Changing Order
by Dawn of Erised
Summary: When Albus Dumbledore is removed from the Wizengamot, Fudge takes the opportunity to silence Harry. The wizarding World is sent into chaos... Fifth year, AU, Mentor fic, De-ageing,
1. Chapter 1

_Hello, welcome to my new story, this one takes inspiration from FoolishWishmaker's two Harry Potter stories. However this one contains some twists and turns. There are no warnings for this story and no pairing, if any has been decided. I hope I have managed to keep all scenarios in this chapter as people imagine them. I also hope you're able to see the different relationships both sides have to their leaders._

The story will be from Harry's point of view, however in fifth year fics many people start with the Dursley's. Well this is something new and different. I hope to keep away from clichés unless unavoidable - in which case I hope I write them tastefully. The title is work in progress, if anyone can think of something better then please don't hesitate to say so :-)

_Summary: When Albus Dumbledore is removed from the Wizengamot, Fudge takes the opportunity to silence Harry. The wizarding World is sent into chaos... Fifth year, AU, Mentor, De-__ageing_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot._

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Chapter 1 – Emergency Wizengamot Meeting:

Albus Dumbledore sighed as he strolled through the entrance of the ministry floo room and towards the lifts at the other end. He was dressed in the more formal robes of the Wizengamot Chief Warlock, plain black robes with every hem and cuff line stitched with gold thread. As Albus passed many of his former students, especially the recent graduates of Hogwarts, stared at him. Not that Albus was bothered by that, the students were used to a brightly flamboyant dress. No it was the whisperings, the glares that were fixed onto him as he walked passed as the sheep of the wizarding world forgot that not a week ago he was respected and almost worshipped by them. Albus found his way down to a gallery on level two of the ministry and sat down in the centre of the room behind a tall desk. The desk allowed him to see all fifty members of the Wizengamot as they sat down in one of the two-curved row of seats below him. In front of the desk, two extra tables sat the Minister for Magic, the department heads and his secretary. A table in the middle set apart from the other two allowed books detailing wizarding laws and room for a scribe to write down the minutes of the meeting.

"All rise for Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic." Albus said, as the last members sat down. Once Cornelius had finished nodding and shaking hands of several elite members and had sat down Albus continued, "Welcome to the 307th meeting of the Wizengamot and the 57th emergency call out this century. This meeting is called to discuss the disaster of the Triwizard tournament, especially the final task on the 24th June and what we have learnt since."

"Learnt since Albus?" Amelia Bones asked

Cornelius interrupted, "He believes the word of a disturbed child Amelia. One who would have us all believe that Lord… You-Know-Who has returned from the dead!"

"Minister, we have no reason not to believe Mr Potter."

"Dumbledore you said – you said it yourself thirteen years ago that You-Know-Who had been destroyed at the house of the Potters. Now you are telling us you have lied. That we are to believe the words of a boy whose own godfather helped kill his parents. One who would believe this same man to be innocent no matter those credible eyewitnesses saw different! You Albus Dumbledore are a liar, trying to stir things up, create terror."

"Minister, that is not what I believe –"

Cornelius appeared to be speaking to himself now, still in 'speech mode' "Yes that'll be it. You have always wanted to be minister, telling me what to do informing me of best practises at the beginning of my office, trying three times to become minister. Potter comes back with a dead body as the cups acts like the portkey meant to and brought them to the outside of the maze with some sob story about You-Know-Who returning and a dead man killing the son of an honoured member of the ministry. Giving names of those cleared of charges as Death Eaters, no respect for authority. I won't have it Dumbledore!"

"Perhaps," The room turned to stare as a regal man, white blond hair stood and looked down his nose as he addressed the room, "Perhaps, we merely need to lower the influence these people, who would cause havoc where there is no danger to be had. I call for a re-election of the Post of Chief Warlock"

"Under what circumstances do you call it?" Dumbledore ground out

"Circumstances well: attempted treason towards the Ministry of Magic, unnecessary disturbance to public order and no confidence in the ability to remain impartial towards the dealings of our laws are just a few Mr Dumbledore."

"Seconded!" Thaddeus Nott stood up.

"Third," Derik Crabbe called

Cornelius stood again, "So noted and passed. Albus Dumbledore you are required to leave the session immediately, your time as chief warlock is over and there is a probationary period of seven months or twenty non-emergency meetings, whichever is first, before you may join the voting body. A new Warlock shall be appointed after you leave the room as will the continuing discussion of this meeting's topics. Good day."

Albus was shocked; he looked around and saw many people agreeing with the judgement, which had not even been put to vote. Not that it even mattered, he was sure that the correct number of people had been sufficiently bribed.

Without a word, he stood and without a backwards glance, he left the gallery and the ministry. At Hogwarts, he did not acknowledge any ghost or portrait that greeted him. Albus Dumbledore simply went into the room behind the office and hid himself away for several hours.

It was early evening by the time a phoenix dropped a letter onto the kitchen table of Lupin Cottage; startling the two occupants who had been throwing tiny pieces of bread at each other up until that point. One of them grabbed the letter and glared at his dark haired friend who had just hit him on the head with an entire bread roll.

"Padfoot."

"Naw, come Moody Moony enjoy yourself for once."

"Dumbledore has sent us this letter Sirius; think you can act your name for once?"

"So long as you don't expect me to act my age old boy." Sirius grinned at the brown haired man who was eyeing him with mistrust.

"Never." He smirked and opened the letter

_At exactly half past five, this letter will transport you and your 'dog' to the Shrieking Shack, kindly make your way to the great hall._

_A.P.W.B.D_

"We've two minutes Padfoot, you better hold on."

Sirius took hold of one of the corners of the letter, "What's it for?" he asked Remus who in returned just gave Sirius a condescending look before shaking his head and both of them were whisked away only to land at the top of a set of creaky wooden stairs.

A look of comprehension and embarrassment graced Sirius' face as he transformed into Padfoot and led the way down stairs through the small alcove in the wall and out the other side of the Whomping Willow.

The duo made their way to the great hall and as they entered, a small runic circle lit up around them both. Slightly startled at not being able to move another step and suddenly surrounded by a thin veil of light Remus and Sirius watched as the light finally dissipated and a door behind the teacher's table opened slightly. Neither of the two could see who was in the room, even as they got very close to it, they could however hear noises all scrambling over each other.

Padfoot, still in dog form, followed Remus into the room, as soon as they stepped across the threshold people became visible, Moony took a chair in the back corner opposite Dumbledore and conjured a cushion for Padfoot to sit on.

A few more people stepped through and after Minerva McGonagall had sat down Albus Dumbledore stood up, spread his arms, as though about to gather the rest of the room into a hug. Fawkes flamed into the room to perch on his shoulder as he addressed the room,

"Greetings old friends and new friends, I welcome you to the first meeting of the Order of the Phoenix, a group which, in the last war worked alongside the Ministry. However, after the third task, Cornelius has found it fit to disregard the warnings I have given and have decided to evict me from my status as Chief Warlock. This means that all decisions of the Wizengamot will be backed by Cornelius Fudge, and by extension Lucius Malfoy and his merry band of followers."

"Great, we may as well invite You-Know-Who to the ministry," someone groaned

"No, no do not despair, there are still several level headed and honest people at the ministry and we have our own aurors looking out for trouble I hope?" Kingsley, Tonks and Mad-eye nodded.

"So today we have old faces," Albus continued, as though he hadn't been interrupted. He nodded at Remus and Sirius, Moody and Dedalus, "As well as new faces," Arthur, Molly and Bill Weasley raised their glasses, Kingsley Shacklebolt waved and Nymphadora Tonks sat forward a little in her chair, "Before we begin will you all line up before the pedestal and look Fawkes in the eyes."

The group agreed and moved to wait their turn, as Fawkes nodded people past Albus gave each of them a small phoenix figurine, "Please keep this in your pocket or on a chain please, they will warm up as a meeting is needed, they also allow for communication to other members. Conversations cannot take place, but holding it in your hand and thinking what you want to say will alert other members. They will also act as portkeys to a room which is always rented by me, inside the Hog's Head."

"That dingy pub Albus, are you certain?"

"Is run by my brother, so it is perfectly safe, and will allow Madame Pomfrey to attend to injuries much sooner. Now, onto other more important business: our focus will be to protect Harry Potter, and to keep an eye on the ministry. Remus, I hope you don't mind going back to the wolf colonies?"

"Not at all"

"Hagrid and Olympe are off to go and ask the giants to, at the very least, stay neutral. William I don't suppose you can speak to the goblins?"

"I can try professor, but they will probably just stay out of wizarding affairs all together, unless the war erupts within the bank the goblins will hopefully stay completely neutral."

Dumbledore nodded "Good, as this meeting draws to a close I would like to ask Alastor to bring the veritaserum, and for the rest of the room to remain perfectly calm."

Once Alastor had passed over the vial of veritaserum, Albus beckoned forward the grim like dog beside Remus. "Sirius, if you could kindly transform back,"

Chaotic shouting ensued when the dog morphed into the infamous Black heir,

"Calm please!" Albus shouted, "I know you are all wondering why we have a traitor in our midst, I too believed he was guilty of betraying the Potters. However, this is not the case, and so everyone here may believe me, Sirius has volunteered to take a truth serum. Now please be seated Sirius and I will administer three drops to the back of your mouth and then Mad-Eye will ask you a series of questions.

"Were you the Potter's secret keeper?"

"Yes,"

"Was Peter the Potter's secret keeper?"

"Yes,"

"When were you secret keeper?"

"3rd March 1981 until June 15th 1981"

"Why did you cease being the Potter's secret keeper?"

"During a raid I was captured and tortured, I can remember nothing, not what I said or did, I remember only pain. I suggested a swap, in case Death Eaters had found out where the Potters had been hiding."

"Who was privy to your appointment of secret keeper?"

"James Potter, Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore."

"Why did you need three people?"

"James Potter's resident was the secret; Remus Lupin was the Witness, I was the keeper and Albus Dumbledore the binder."

"How did you manage to break the spell?"

"After I had been healed from my capture the Potter's moved house, just in case this broke the secret on the house."

"Who was present for the second casting of the Fidelius Charm?"

"James Potter, Lily Potter, Harry Potter, Peter Pettigrew."

"Why did the spell need five people this time?"

"Lily wondered if the spell could be placed on people instead of houses, so if Voldemort did find the house he wouldn't be able to see the occupants. James Potter, Lily Potter and Harry Potter became the secret; Peter became the Keeper and I acted as the binder."

"No witnesses?"

"No."

"What happened on the 31st October 1981?"

"In the evening I went to go and meet with Peter, we were going to surprise James and join Harry for his first proper Halloween. I waited for Peter to arrive, but after an hour and no notice of him being late, I decided he had forgotten about our plan. I went to go and see if he was at his flat."

"Was he? Describe the flat's appearance when you found it."

"No he wasn't there. The flat had usual day old dishes by the sink; a plate had been left on the table. No one was on the settee and when I went to the bedroom, the bed was a mess. The bathroom door wasn't locked."

"Was this usual? Was anything out of place?"

"Yes, Peter had always been the messier of the marauders. Only the floo pot, which had been moved to the table next to the fireplace. Also the table in front of the fire was moved, so that people wouldn't fall onto it if they stumbled or tripped out of the floo network."

"There was no sign of struggle then?"

"No."

"What happened next?"

"I took my motorbike and flew it to James' house only to find the house partially exploded, James was face up lying across the hallway between the living room and staircase. I moved him outside the house, out of danger of being crushed in case the house fell. Upstairs Lily was dangerously close to falling through a hole in the floor to the kitchen below, I levitated her down next to James, Harry was crying at this point, through the bars of an upside down cot, I lifted it of him and took him downstairs as I used the old pendant to call someone from the order. Hagrid came and said that he would be able to take him to Dumbledore and get him looked at. I agreed, and allowed Hagrid to take my Motorbike; it is safer than a portkey when a child has to be transported. Then I spent the next half a day chasing after Pettigrew."

"When did you catch up with him? And what was the result?"

"On November 1st at about nine in the morning. He yelled in front of several wizards, witches and muggles how I had betrayed the Potters, I got ready to blast him to smithereens when he cut off his own finger and blasted the street behind him. He used the cloud of dust to hide his transformation into a rat, and used the force of the blast to run down a drain into the muggle sewer system. As aurors caught up with me, I was placed in a ministry holding cell for three days. By which time the press was glorifying my godson and shouting about how I had killed three of my supposed best friends in order to help my 'master'."

Several order members looked at each other startled, Albus Dumbledore was nodding slightly at the things he knew and looked searchingly into Sirius' eyes as he was told of things that had been kept hidden. An extra dose of truth serum was given to Sirius as the questioning continued:

"How did you escape Azkaban?"

"I transformed into my animagus form, slipped past the dementors and swam ashore,"

"How were you able to slip through the bars?"

"I did not always get fed; prisoners in the high security get fed every other day. I lost weight and when I was thin enough I slipped through the bars."

"Why did you choose to wait twelve years before escaping?"

"I believed Harry was being cared for by Dumbledore, I thought he hated me, and rightly so, if I had not suggested a switch of secret keepers then his parents would have still been alive. That thought, even though I was ultimately innocent of their murder meant that I punished myself, if those I considered my brother and sister could not live and see their son grow, what gave me the right? As I saw Peter, in the newspaper, sitting on the shoulder of Harry's friend – it was mentioned in the article – I knew I had to commit the crime I was imprisoned for in order to keep my godson safe, even if he hated me."

Albus raised his hand to the room, stopping the questioning. He gave Sirius the antidote and told him to go and sit back down by Remus. "That is all for this meeting, please be aware that you won't be able to tell anyone the topics discussed in these meetings with anyone whom is not here. I ask you not to try. I will let you know when the next meeting will be, until then, stay safe."

The room was dismissed and people ended up leaving in groups to discuss everything Sirius had told them about the night almost fourteen years ago.

A distinct smell of rot and damp filled Lucius Malfoy's senses as he stalked along the hallways of Little Hangleton Manor. That filthy creature Wormtail had answered the door, informing Lucius that the Dark Lord was in his study and had no want to be disturbed.

Lucius had merely turned his nose up at the cowardly man, "This is important Wormtail, the Dark Lord shall understand, indeed, he may even be grateful to know this news I bring."

He followed Wormtail as he led the way to the study. He was led up a grand staircase and down a corridor to the left, entering a door on the right they walked through a library and past a hissing fire, which did not do much to heat nor light the room. A corridor at the end led to one of the studies and Peter knocked on the tall oak doors before scurrying off, back through the library and down the hall, leaving only a single window and a candle to light the passageway.

"Enter." Came a hissed voice, chilling and would have terrified someone who was not used to it. Though it still made a shiver creep up Lucius' spine.

Lucius took a deep breath before pushing the doors open, walking to a respectable pace before his master's desk and knelt. Five minutes passed in relative silence, only the turning of a page could be heard, before the book hit the top of the table with a soft _thud_, "Ahh Lucius, I told Wormtail to inform my loyal subjects that I was not to be disturbed."

"I…I was told my lord." Lucius bowed his head further, "However, I have great news and I believed you should learn of it first-hand, so I came as soon as I could."

"Very well."

Lucius took this as permission to continue speaking. "An Emergency Wizengamot meeting, set up by Albus Dumbledore to announce your return, failed my lord. He has been kicked off the Wizengamot. Your influence of the minister and the ministry may begin my lord."

"Why thank you Lucius, for giving me permission to influence your abode…" came the dangerously smooth reply,

Lucius flinched "Never my lord, would I presume to give you any permission for anything. I was just…I believed you should know that we do not have to worry about Dumbledore anymore."

"Not worry? He's still alive Lucius and some of his influence remains…" Lucius held his breath, "However you are correct, it will allow me to work from behind the scenes more freely, you have done well."

Lucius let go of the breath he had been holding. "Thank you my lord,"

"Leave now Lucius,"

Lucius stood up, his knees aching but he kept his head down, any form of weakness would be punished. As he turned around, to walk back to the entrance and towards the apparition site he was hit, and found himself back on the floor, withering in pain.

"Do not attempt to arrive in my presence, disturbing my work in such ministerial robes again Lucius Malfoy! Such action will be taken as serious disrespect towards our cause, and shall be met with the appropriate punishment."

Gasping Lucius managed to get out "Yes my lord. Of course my lord," before scuttling from the room, barely able to stand properly, let alone walk gracefully. A rare sight to see in a Malfoy indeed.

Lucius paid no attention to his surroundings as he almost flew out of the door and pas the cemetery and gardens before managing to apparate home.

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_Thank you all for reading, I'll update as soon as possible. Please take the time to give me any sort of constructive criticism or encouragement it will be greatly appreciated. _

_DOE x_

_Edited: 13/08/13 - Changed the spelling of Alastor's Name_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to my four reviewers and to everyone who has added this story to their favourite and alert lists. It means so much to me that people are enjoying the story. I hope this is a quick enough update :-) I really hope that in this scene, Harry is in character, and I would like to remind people that some things may be different or strange, but don't worries they are meant to be like that. Also, a guest reviewer asked why Severus Snape wasn't in the Order Meeting, to be honest I'd forgotten about him, but don't worry he's there this time. _

_Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, I was writing it in chunks around my jobs and other real life stuff - it was meant to be posted yesterday, but 1 day late is ok right?_

_I'm trying to keep this original or at the very least put new spins on old clichés_

_Summary: When Albus Dumbledore is removed from the Wizengamot, Fudge takes the opportunity to silence Harry. The wizarding World is sent into chaos... Fifth year, AU, Mentor, De-ageing_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot_

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Mundungus fletcher would be the first person to tell you that he was an honest businessman. He had an eye for deals and knew how to sell any item he came across. This left him knowing most of the ins and outs of Knockturn alley and the other back streets of various places, he heard the rumours from the other side of the coin so to speak and he knew that he had enemies. Dumbledore himself had saved his life one day, after a group of nasty hags had decided he would miss sold them their goods. In return, Mundungus had agreed to help the Order of the Phoenix, listening out for strange rumours of Death Eater or otherwise activities, watching Potter's home to check for unusual activity there.

So now, here he was, underneath an invisibility cloak, tired from work the night before, watching as Harry Potter did the most mundane of tasks. He soon lit a cigar trying to find something to do that would not draw attention to the fact he was here. As Harry moved into the back garden and nothing else was, happening Mundungus decided that he was able to get some sleep. After all what could possibly go wrong?

***&*CO*&***

It was a warm summers evening in Privet Drive. Mr Jones of number 7 was currently washing his car. Mrs Simmons and Mrs Taylor of number 6 and number 8 were chatting across their front garden fences while their children played. Mrs Fig of number 1 was sitting indoors away from the heat. She had opened the living room windows though and was now peering out of them craning her neck so she was able to look all the way down the street to number 30, where a Mr and Mrs Opaltine were sitting on their new front decking sipping tea from expensive china cups. However, several of Mrs Fig's cats had taken to wander around the houses, sitting in number 4's rose bushes and underneath the car, away from the spray of number 7's diligent car washing.

As Vernon's car pulled into his driveway Mrs Taylor and Mrs Simmons grew very quiet, watching as three sunburnt Dursleys emptied out of the car. Dudley received an ice-lolly from the boot as he was waiting ever so patiently for daddy to open the front door. Mr Dursley heaved himself inside the tiny hallway, and into the living room, he began to open the windows, wondering, "Where the blasted boy was and why wasn't this already done? He shouldn't have to feel like a chicken in the oven inside his own home."

Dudley went into the house after his father. He paid no mind to his dad's ramblings, nor to any punishment his cousin would be receiving, it was none of his business and he had watched it all before. Instead, he grabbed several Coke-a-Cola cans from the fridge and proceeded to make his way past his mother, who had just shut the door and was carrying numerous bags of shopping and beach equipment, and up the stairs to play his computer games.

Petunia Dursley looked out of the window to call in her unwanted nephew. However, not seeing him outside she shouted up the stairs for him to come down. After several minutes of shouting, she stormed up the stairs and wrenched his bedroom door open, ready to scream blue murder at him for his apparent inability to listen to his betters. She stumbled though, as the wind was taken from her sails. As the door flung open with such force it smashed into the wall behind it leaving a huge hole in the plaster. She found the room empty of the freak. Oh, it was filled with various freakish things, showing he had not been taken by anyone after he had finished his chores, but no messy haired freak.

As she went back downstairs, Petunia went into the back garden, wandering around the house several times before Mrs Taylor and Mrs Simmons drew her attention.

"Are you looking for something Petunia?"

"Oh, no, Marissa, I'm just checking on my nephew's chores. He got into a lot of trouble at his school, a boy ended up murdered according to the headmaster. Terrible business it is, so we gave him chores to complete today to keep his mind off things and keep his hands busy. "

Mrs Taylor looked across at Mrs Simmons who had come to join Marissa Taylor in her garden to listen to Petunia. "We saw him leave,"

"Leave?" Petunia asked, "Leave with who…Did you manage to get a look at the people he let with?"

Sandra Simmons smirked, "We don't know, I heard from Lesley across the road that three men, right out of the Middle Ages, came to talk to Harry then disappeared in a swirl of colour. Like something out of a magic book it was."

Petunia stiffened at these words before thanking the two neighbours and heading back inside her house.

She quickly wrote a letter to Dumbledore, unaware that it would solve a huge mystery that the Order was trying to fix.

***&*CO*&***

"Silence," Dumbledore shouted, trying to make himself heard over the ruckus that was his Order, "Please, we must hear all of the details, who was the last person to see Harry?"

A tall witch with dull brown eyes and greying brown hair spoke up, "I saw Harry make the Dursley's their breakfast at about half past seven, before passing guard onto Hestia."

Everyone turned to look at Hestia, who shrugged, "I watched him while he started his chores in the garden then at about midday I left him with 'Dung'."

"'e was t'ere all affernoon p'fessor." Mundungus said, eyeing Albus beseechingly

Moody spoke up, "Interesting Fletcher, considering you was sleeping when it was my turn on Potter-watch."

Fletcher gulped, as Moody's eye clocked him, "He wasn't in the surrounding area either Albus, though his Aunt and Uncle were also out, it's possible he went with them."

"All of this wasted time looking for a brat who was too focused on the pampering he'd receive from his relatives to bother informing us. I say we just let him continue his sulking Albus." Severus sneered.

Albus looked over the tops of his glasses at Severus, "We'll just have to contact Petunia the; unless anyone has anything to add?"

Hestia raised her hand, "Professor, Harry was left outside to do his chores, his relatives left without him, they went to the beach, I overheard them talking. Harry had to stay and finish his chores, and have tea cooking by the time they got back."

Albus frowned slightly. Before nodding at Hestia, "Thank you."

At that moment, a burst of phoenix flame deposited Fawkes onto the top of Albus' head before he flew down onto the table and placed the letter, he was holding in his beak into Albus' hand. The hall went quiet as Albus opened the strangely written note.

_A. Dumbledore,_

_Some of your lot came to collect the boy today, he's left his school books, clothes and that stick thing of his so you need to come and pick him up. You should also note that several of my neighbours spotted him leaving with three abnormal people in a swirl of colour almost like magic! I've warned you to be discreet. _

_Petunia Dursley. _

"Abnormal people, that will give us some clues then -"

"Taken, do you think death eaters have him -?"

"Is that from Petunia?"

Albus held up his hand and silence reigned. He looked at Severus, "Is there any possibility?"

"No, I'd have been called, he wouldn't have wanted to remain silent if he had captured the precious Boy – Who- Lived."

"Then where is my godson Snivellus?"

"Sirius, we won't get anywhere by arguing amongst ourselves."

"The abnormal people, she mentioned Albus, we should ask for more information on them."

"I'm afraid not Moody, I fear she simply means people with magic. It is why I placed Arabella there, rather than a wizard or witch."

"Much good she was then." Moody huffed.

"Severus, Remus, Mundungus, I must ask you to go back to the undercover work, as around see if you can hear anything."

"Those who work at the ministry, please scout around, see if anyone's mentioned him, or seen him, and say within the last week."

"The rest of you will have to divide your time going around Privet Drive, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, as well any other places you believe a fourteen year old may have gone, Kingsley, could I ask you to interview the neighbours and Harry's Aunt and Uncle, before you return to the ministry."

"Yes headmaster."

As the Order dispersed, only two people remained. "Albus," Sirius spoke up,

"Sirius I cannot place you…"

"I know, "Sirius sighed, trying to reign in his instinct to go rushing off to find his godson, "I know I cannot join in the search, however if – _when _we find him, he'll want to come and stay with me. I thought I could go and see if I'm still able to enter Grimauld Place, its safe, safer than Hogwarts, in fact the only ward it doesn't have is the Fidelius and that's easy enough to put on it, especially if you're the secret keeper."

"That's a good plan; we can use it as a more secure place for Order meetings." Albus mused, "Very well Sirius you've my permission to go and clean up your old familial home"

Sirius said his goodbyes, ignoring Snape, glaring at him from the corner. As Sirius left, Severus went to speak when his left forearm burned. He looked up to Dumbledore.

"Go, find out what you can," Albus said, hurrying Snape along and as he was left alone, he spent the next few hours waiting in the room, stroking a sleeping Fawkes.

***&*CO*&***

Harry sat in the garden, he had finished the weeding hours ago and since his aunt, uncle and cousin were out, he took the tie to have a small sleep on one of the sun lounges. He had not been sleeping well with nightmares waking him up every night. After a few days of doing chores and exhausted from lack of sleep he had fallen asleep vacuuming the living room, waking abruptly when his aunt had walked in wondering why it was taking him so long, as she wanted to watch the telly. Therefore, a routine had been born; at night, Harry would do his homework, dozing in between assignments. Once he had made breakfast, he would go outside and do some of the garden chores, then when his relatives went out for the day he would have a nap, whether that was on a sun lounger, the settee or even sat at the kitchen table.

Harry had planned to take the sun lounger into the front garden but as he was weeding the front flowerbeds, a putrid smell of smoke and something unwashed filled his nose. Harry figured that one of the neighbours was having a bonfire, but he could not see any smoke. It was strange, but then as a wizard, he was not able to comment on whether something could be considered strange or not. After all dark lord spirits, trolls and talking hats were not exactly normal occurrences were they? Therefore, Harry decided to stay in the slightly shaded back garden for a while.

Something had woken Harry from his nap however, and as he sat there for a few minutes, he heard and recognised the sound again. Someone was knocking on the front door. Not having the keys to the front door, Harry walked around the side of the house, and stood shocked as he saw who was knocking.

Clustered around the door were three men in dark blue robes, muttering amongst themselves. Finally one of the men, a tall thickly built chap with long side burns. "Ahh Mr Potter, come with us please, you're almost late." He said primly

"Where to? Almost late for what?"

"The ministry Mr Potter, now hurry along, we don't have time to wait for you." With this, the man shoved a small badge into Harry's chest. A horribly familiar feeling of being pulled from the back of his navel engulfed him as he was pulled along with the three ministry employees by portkey.

Harry slammed into one of the ministry officials, as they landed, and promptly threw up. Harry was scourgified and led to a small room, which contained several people, including the minister that made Harry's stomach turn slightly.

"Mr Potter," the minister began, "welcome to the ministry. In light of recent events and the little time the ministry has at the moment it was decided that your trial should be more private."

Harry swallowed, feeling rather nervous, "my…my trial minister?"

"Yes, a trial, for the murder of one Mr Cedric Diggory. All of the relevant people attend and so it has been deemed unnecessary for the Wizengamot to attend. We do however have Lucius Malfoy, chief warlock of the Wizengamot,"

Harry could not remember why that statement made his stomach churn, so he continued to listen to Fudge talking.

"Dolores Umbridge," the minister pointed to an unfortunately pink woman with an amphibious facial structure, "witness of this trial. Percy Weasley, scribe and Amos Diggory party for the deceased and Harry Potter the accused."

"What!" Harry burst out, he was suddenly terrified, and "I've not murdered anybody." He felt strangely confused for a few seconds before it passed as the minister simply continued on as though Harry hadn't jumped out of the chair causing it to fall onto the floor, and scattered several pieces of parchment over the desk.

"We'll start the questioning right away," Harry sat back on the chair when it returned to its proper condition; however, when Harry sat down chains wrapped them around him in a poor imitation of a Mrs Weasley hug. "Mr Potter please states briefly how you and Mr Cedric Diggory were the last two competitors in the third task."

Harry swallowed – his mouth suddenly incredibly dry. "After all of my fellow champions were in the maze, and I had walked around looking for the centre of the maze I heard a high pitched scream. I ran towards the noise."

"Hem, hem, you're saying you ran towards a scream, without knowing what had made one of your fellow champions scream? That's almost Gryffindor of you." The pink lady, Umbridge, interrupted.

Harry scowled at her, "I am a Gryffindor," he said proudly, almost shouting, he did not appreciated being accused for something he had not done. He also had told all of this to Dumbledore about two weeks ago. In fact Harry wondered where Dumbledore could be, did he care that Harry was here? Did he even know?

Lucius waved a gloved hand dismissively, "yes, yes Mr Potter, do carry on with the question,"

"Anyway, I saw fleur being pulled underneath one of the hedges, and tried to get her out, but I couldn't and I didn't know how close the others were to the cup. So I sent up red sparks,"

"The hedges would have deposited her outside the maze near to the judge's panel, your little stunt meant that she had to wait until you came out of the maze with Cedric Diggory's body before help would come. The transportation charm is a sixth year spell Potter." Delores Umbridge sneered at Harry,

Harry looked at her, "I've not started fifth year yet!" He said angrily Cornelius snorted as though Harry had said something funny and Harry ignored him in favour of glaring at Umbridge and continuing. "Then I came across victor Krum, he had his wand pointed at Cedric and was unsuccessfully trying to cast the cruciatus curse at him. Once I had managed to stun him from behind, we could see a white cloud fade from Krum's eyes. It looked like he had been cursed with imperio. After that, Cedric sent up red sparks and we both went our separate ways.

After a while we met back up, we both reached the cup at the same time, but since Cedric was the true Hogwarts champion I said that he should get to receive the cup."

"How noble," Cornelius Fudge snorted under his breath, while Amos smiled slightly at Harry's statement.

"We ended up deciding to both get to the cup first; either way it would be a win for Hogwarts. However, it ended up being a portkey to a cemetery, peter Pettigrew fired the killing curse at Cedric – "

"And you - know – who jumped out of a magic cauldron and you saw Lord Lucius Malfoy, our very own chief warlock bowing and scraping to a newly reborn dark lord?" Lucius Malfoy looked affronted as Cornelius spoke of him bowing and scraping, but he remained quiet, "a likely story. Mr Potter I will be frank with you, your evidence is all based on circumstance and ill thought out excuses. Let me tell you Mr Potter what we found. The magical signature found on Cedric Diggory's body matched the one we found at 4 privet drive almost three years ago. A coincidence, perhaps, but it is highly, highly unlikely."

"Voldemort and I have brother wands. They're both from the same phoenix." Harry said, desperately trying to get these people to believe him.

"Brother Wands are exceedingly rare, and phoenixes that give away two feathers even more so. I find it very, very unlikely that you and Voldemort even share the same core. In addition, you are trying to tell us that a dead man used another dead man's wand to kill a young boy who was a champion, then used it to resurrect a second dead man. Preposterous, I believe that you Mr Potter did not want to share the fame of being Triwizard tournament. I think that as you both went to reach for the cup you killed Cedric Diggory. The cup records all spells cast, not in an exact order but close enough to our ministry standards and apart from the ports spell to allow the champion to be portkeyed outside of the maze, the rest were registered by you. I think that you missed the first time, and then Cedric tried to disarm you before you got into a duel and managed to kill him after hitting him with several attempts at the crucio and imperius curses.

"Then, after it was over you gave Dumbledore a sob story about how you-know-who had returned, before letting the polyjuiced Barty crouch Jr. Take you away from the eyes of the public, leaving the Diggory have to believe a horrific dark lord had not only killed their only child, but had returned from the dead?"

Lucius Malfoy turned to the minister, "I believe minister that there are laws about even attempting to use the unforgivable, Mr Potter was able to compete in a tournament for adults, wrongly, that is true. Nevertheless the cup saw him as an adult and therefore I believe he must be sentenced as an adult."

Minister Fudge looked very uncomfortable, but nodded his agreement. "Very well, Mr Potter, you are here by sentenced to a lifetime imprisonment in Azkaban for the murder of Cedric Diggory and the use of several unforgivable curses."

Harry could not say anything. He could not think straight and then before he could plead with the minister, show him that he was wrong, that Harry had not killed anyone, that he did not want his fame. Coldness grew the minister, Delores Umbridge, Percy Weasley, Amos Diggory and Lucius Malfoy left the room before four dementors entered and dragged him away.

* * *

_Thank you all for reading, I'll update as soon as possible. Please take the time to give me any sort of constructive criticism or encouragement it will be greatly appreciated. Also as a favour, please let me know how the 'trial' between Fudge and Harry went. I wanted to show that Fudge was just grasping at straws trying to get Harry, it also shows how corrupt the ministry is at the moment. If Mundungus' speech is irritating or difficult to read and enough people say so, I can change it into true English and you can all imagine the accents of the characters._

_Thank you again for reading._

_DOE x_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello, I'm so sorry please don't kill me. I've been planning future chapters, and organising things like timetables for every year, and pupils in each year - which would change according to baby booms during the pause of 1981. So it's been very hectic. Also Voldemort started getting sassy rather than evil and cunning so he took DAYS to write! also life caught up. there are five birthdays in may family within days of each other - they're over now though so that's fine. _

_On the plus side, updates can be more continuous, every 10 days max. :-D And I know exactly where I'm going with this story now, though I hope it doesn't become too clichéd. _

_Summary: When Albus Dumbledore is removed from the Wizengamot, Fudge takes the opportunity to silence Harry. The wizarding World is sent into chaos... Fifth year, AU, Mentor fic, De-ageing,_

_Disclaimer: Belongs to JKR_

* * *

A circular room, the old observatory of Riddle Manor in Little Hangleton, held a long wooden table that seated thirteen. At the head of the table stood grand white gold chair expensively decorated with diamonds, emeralds and pieces of silver and Whitby jet gemstones. Compared to the straight-backed, stiff wooden chairs either side of the table the throne-like chair looked extremely out of place.

Seated in the throne was an inhumanly pale man. Dressed in a black robe, where green and silver thread wrapped around the hems and seams of his robe. He was currently petting a large snake, which had wrapped itself around both the man and the throne he sat on. The head of the snake rested on top of the table hissing every so often.

As a small murmur outside tall doors could be heard, the man stood up, the snake coming with him, draping around his shoulders. A wave of a hand allowed the doors to open. The people outside were dressed in plain black heavy robes. They came and stood around the table, as though they already knew their placement beside the Man's side. Before sitting the followers, as this was all they could be, knelt, bowing their heads towards this snake man.

"Rise" was the command given by this dark Lord. As one the followers stood, though none attempted to sit just yet.

"Welcome brothers," the Lord said, hissing slightly so it sounded as though he were whispering his words. "And of course sisters; to this celebratory gathering. You whom are here are of my most loyal Death Eaters and therefore are my inner circle."

The followers stiffened as one, though none of them raised their heads to look at each other or their Lord. They had questionable morals, the inability to emphasize and were likely sadistic but none of them, at least the ones in this inner circle, were stupid. To move without permission, to interrupt, to bring bad news or to disagree with their Lord meant torture. They tortured others, saw how it pained and broke people, they were not about to be tortured themselves if they could help it at all.

"Please sit, tell me what has been happening after my return."

"Three men, my Lord, have taken Potter from his relatives' house." Snape spoke up. "Dumbledore does not know where he could be."

The Dark Lord scowled but before he could say anything Lucius Malfoy spoke up. "My Lord, the Potter brat has been carted off to Azkaban. It was Fudge's idea; I merely helped give the reason…" Lucius trailed off the Dark Lord was looking at him murderously.

"Lucius," came a barely concealed hiss of anger, "Potter is mine to break and destroy. Not the ministry's. Do not begin to make stupid mistakes; I won't take kindly to them as I have been lenient in the past." Lucius shrunk down in his seat, a furious red glow making its way up the back of his neck, though it did not reach his cheeks.

"My Lord," a red headed man spoke up, "Potter is located in the bowls of the prison, and there is no one else down there. Our fellow Death Eaters have been moved to the top levels in the least dementors populated part of the prison."

The Dark Lord nodded at the man, such news, while not asked for was not disappointing and so he merely turned to regard the rest of the table "Though perhaps you've not completely messed up again Lucius." Sharp red eyes turned to another Death Eater, brown hair pulled back at the nape of his neck and fastened with a black ribbon, large brown eyes with a slightly pointed nose and high cheekbones, who sat at the bottom end of the table. "I expect you've made some form of advancement in your negotiations with our allies?"

Mcnair shuffled in his pulling at the edges of his hood, "We're sending an envoy off to the giants in two days my Lord. "

"Good, good I am pleased." The Dark Lord's mouth stretched into a grotesque smile, "And you Rosier? How goes your discussions?"

"Well my Lord. Considering the nature of the beasts; my envoy decided that quick, less subtle arrangements would allow for a smoother alliance."

"Good. Good." The smooth tone of voice that came out of the Dark Lords mouth was false and grated on several Death Eaters' nerves. The Dark Lord turned to stare at the only blond Death Eater in the room, who in turn gulped. Lucius Malfoy had not been on good terms within the ranks of the Death Eaters, he knew that if it was not for his high position within the ministry and the influence he had over the minister that he would not be part of the inner circle gathered in this room today.

"It would seem Lucius that you may not have ruined everything with your so called influence." His gaze turned deadly, "Do not presume to know or understand my plans for anyone otherwise next time I won't be so considerate."

Before Lucius could open his mouth to thank the Dark Lord for his kindness and mercy he had fallen sideways off his chair, hitting his head on the seat Pettigrew was sitting on, withering in pain as a thousand hands bent every bone in his body almost to breaking point, each muscle torn to shreds as scissors snipped across them. Then the pain stopped, his muscles twitching and joints jerking as his body tried to cope with the shock. The Dark Lord dismissed his followers; none tried to help Lucius nor even looked at him as they left the room to do the tasks that were set to them weeks ago.

Finally, only Lucius, Severus and Peter were standing in the room. Peter was nervously hovering around the Dark Lord, awaiting instruction and looking for all the world as though the wished to be anywhere but his current location.

Severus was helping Lucius to his feet, supporting him as they made their way out of the room. Before they could reach the door, however the Dark Lord called out. "Lucius do not call attention to my presence; find out anything relevant about the Department of Mysteries. Do not mess up again."

Severus helped Lucius turn around, though he let go as Lucius bowed and said "Of course my Lord," before staggering backwards and making his own way out the door. Severus bowed deeply before taking his leave too. Mentally counting the number of steps, it took him to escape the wards and back to Hogwarts.

In the old observatory there was silence, the Dark Lord stalked out of the room and watched his followers leave across the cemetery from a large window in the hallway. Once the had crossed the ward boundary he turned to look at the snivelling rat, as he kept casting his gaze across the Dark Lord, the stairs and the front entrance.

"Pettigrew, Nagini requires feeding." The Dark Lord said, not looking at Peter, merely turning away and walking back across the landing to a small study. Peter squeaked, before scurrying down the stair towards the kitchen, Nagini fast of his heals.

***&*CO*&***

Though the moon settled in the sky, a single glowing window broke the majestic silhouette Hogwarts made across the navy blue sky. A single figure stood over a desk, a map of Magical and Muggle Britain on top, filled with little red, purple and blue dots, all moving across the map. The figure sighed as several previously blue dots turned red. Blue dots turned purple over Ottery St Catchpole before turning red again ten minutes later.

Albus Dumbledore sighed he had been searching for Harry Potter for two days and so far no luck. The prophet had written nothing, and his meetings with Cornelius Fudge were like trying to spoon water out of a sinking ship. He was getting nowhere quickly and the longer Harry evaded them the higher the chance of him being caught within the clutches of Voldemort.

As he, was contemplating various locations that Harry could be kept in? Which included old safe houses used in the last war, Homes of ministry personnel, parks around London, Surry and Devon and main wizarding haunts to which Harry had escaped. The door to his office flung open,

"Headmaster," Albus would have reprimanded the speaker if it were not for the urgent tone his sallow faced man had. "Albus, Voldemort doesn't have Potter."

Albus breathed a sigh of relief he had not been holding, before bringing his eyes back up to meet Severus', still dressed in Death Eater garb, when he felt a lead balloon sit inside his stomach. Severus' face was more pale than usual, his face had sheen of sweat and his eyes looked rather red.

"Severus…"

"According to Lucius Malfoy, at tonight's meeting, Cornelius Fudge had Harry Potter go through a small trial. Only the minimum number of people needed attended. I believe that Fudge wants to keep this as quiet as he possibly can for the time being. "

"It explains quite a lot," Albus, thought, thinking back to the meetings he would have with the minister in the past few days.

"Potter resides within the bowels of Azkaban. Where the dementors are most concentrated, how he ended up there is a mystery, but the Dark Lord knows and he isn't going to do anything about it."

Albus grew paler than Severus thought possible. He may hate Potter and he believed that Potter needed to be taken underhand for his various misdemeanours he would not wish Azkaban prison on anybody. Well except perhaps Sirius Black.

Albus went to his desk, muttering strange words before opening a tiny draw that appeared in the desk. Reaching in and pulling a small phoenix medallion out, he ran his wand over it and the Phoenix glowed. Seconds later Severus could feel warmth radiating from his chest as his own pendant – given to all of the Order of the Phoenix members – glowed slightly too, to alert members that an emergency meeting was being called.

"Albus," Severus whispered "Is it wise for…"

"Yes, I need you here; I want you to be here when I tell them. They need to trust you Severus."

Severus just scowled at the headmaster. He had no desire to be in the same room as Black nor, he quickly glanced at the calendar, a hormonal wolf. He watched as Albus conjured armchairs and placed them around his desk. Severus conjured his own chair and placed it next to Albus' desk facing into the semicircle. Severus was not going to give anyone the opportunity to cast spells at his back.

The fireplace flashed green, as order members arrived in their dressing gowns and robes. Some of them came in through the door, panting, having just rushed through the corridors of the castle. Once everyone had found a seat several trays of tea and biscuits appeared on the tables, which were spread intermittently between the chairs. When the door to his office closed, and the fireplace had stopped turning green and spitting out people Albus started this emergency meeting.

"Welcome to this first emergency meeting of the Order. Please partake in the refreshments I have provided for you. I must apologise for the late hour but since the urgent news I've just received from a reliable source – "

"That greasy git is not reliable." Sirius muttered

Albus shot him a look, "I trust this source with my life." He turned to address the room again, "I have just received notice of where Mr Potter has gotten to. Tonight I finally have the whole facts of the past few days."

Order members shifted, Remus, Sirius and Arthur looked more awake. The three of them were the most worried for the boy. However, everybody hoped to find him.

"Several days ago, Mr and Mrs Dursley took their son to an amusement park leaving Mr Potter alone to tidy up the front and back gardens of number 4 Privet Drive. During that time, three ministry officials in Fudge's camp brought Harry to the ministry. There Cornelius Fudge held Harry in a court, though I do not know what the accusation was, found him guilty and then sentenced Harry to Azkaban."

"WHAT!"

"No! Not Harry! Dumbledore, you have to help him."

"He's not done anything."

"Wouldn't this have been in the papers?"

"Shouldn't we have been in the trial?"

Albus shot sparks into the air to quiet the cacophony of voices that erupted. Once everyone had quietened down, though Sirius was sobbing and Remus was extremely pale, even for him. "I assure all of you that I am doing everything I can about the situation. I believe that Harry went willingly with the ministry officials, which is why our own guard heard nothing."

"That's because he was asleep." Moody grumbled both eyes fixed onto Mundungus Fletcher who was drifting off even now. Moody hit him with a stinging hex causing the man to jump up and tumble into the backs of several people. Those who ended up dislodged picked themselves up, glaring at Moody.

"Onto other business while you're all here. Sirius has offered us the use of his family home. I'll be putting it underneath a fidelius charm which will add to the multitude of wards already present…"

"Who'll be secret keeper?" Asked a stout blond haired man

"How can you be sure it will work? That we will be safe?" Shouted a small red haired woman.

"I will be the secret keeper Phillip, and Marie I've looked over the wards, and strengthened them myself. The portraits there connect to Hogwarts and this office especially. I do believe that we'll be perfectly safe."

Albus looked at his strange watch, "I believe it is late enough. If anyone has, any suggestions about how to get Harry back then please do not hesitate to tell me. The next meeting will be in here too and I will tell you all how to find our next headquarters. Sirius, Remus neither of you are allowed to go to Azkaban and try to help Harry escape, I fear that will not help him at all. Why don't the both of you get a head start on clearing out the library of dangerous books? Arthur if you could wait a moment."

Arthur Weasley paused at the fireplace before moving aside to allow the others through. He went to stand by Albus' desk, as Severus stalked passed everyone and headed down to the dungeons. "Yes Albus?" he asked

"Arthur I believe it will be safer for you and your family to move into Sirius' home sooner than later. The fact Cornelius has placed a fourteen-year-old boy into Azkaban to prove something worries me. When Harry gets out – yes Sirius when – He'll need all of you alive and well."

"I…I'll talk to Molly. She will not be happy Albus. I care for my family's safety, but Percy has decided he is better off without us. What if he comes home?"

Albus paused for a moment, thinking. "I will set up an alarm system to alert us if he comes back. I hesitate in giving him the secret when the fidelius is complete because he may be able to bring someone else, someone whom could do us harm, into the house. I am sorry for this but I must think about the safety of the majority. However, your oldest two will be able to have access to the Secret when they come back over from abroad. William should be asking Charlie if he is able to join. Though they may still be taking advantage of the short break before coming back to join us all."

Arthur nodded; he followed Remus and Sirius through the floo to tell Molly the news.

***&*CO*&***

Long corridors spelled with expansion charms, allowing each one to go on forever, People behind solid metal doors screaming and murmuring, and the ghostly chilling fog that clung to even the smallest of cracks made Azkaban prison the stuff of nightmares.

Deep in the bowels of this prison silence reigned, though the only occupant would tell you that there was a constant screaming, which told of the greatest horror. At first, the boy told himself that the woman was saved, that she was no longer tortured by whatever caused her to scream – she had died.

Now he was starting to doubt himself, strange foreign feelings of happiness and surprise crept through to his dreams. Any happy memory was taken away either by the dementors or by a strange burst of anger that he felt every few hours.

There was a long narrow window, which allowed in light from outside, though this never reached very far down into the cell. Sometimes the light was blocked by waves crashing up against it, or sand being shifted to block the view.

It was a lonely experience down here and Harry wondered if anyone had noticed him missing yet. The Dursley's would not care, he knew that, they were unlikely to ask Dumbledore to help find him. Hermione and Ron had not contacted him when he was at the Dursley's so he doubted they would be contacting him now. His only hope was Sirius or Dumbledore and even rescue was dubious.

So Harry was forced to sit there, in silence, listening to his mother scream and his father's distress as the waves crashed against his window, hiding away from Dementors under the thin blanket he'd been allowed. Trying to remember that he had not turned his wand onto Cedric Diggory. That he had not cast the unforgiving curse and he had not known what was behind the cup. Though he definitely felt guilty, he tried to keep these thoughts separate from those his nightmares screamed at him.

"Murderer,"

"Freak,"

"Unwanted,"

"Liar,"

And as the waves crashed against the window once again, dimming the little light he was allowed, Harry tried to sleep once more, before the dementors came around with his next meal. Pulling his blanket up around his head, and curling as small as he could so the cold couldn't reach him.

* * *

_Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my story - it makes me smile when my inbox is filled with followers and favourites and various reviews :-D _

_I'm glad people seem to enjoy this story, I hope to make it unique, using what ifs etc. and all kinds of criticism will be appreciated. I hope the Azkaban scene was realistically spooky. _

_DOE x_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, I am sorry please doing hate me. I have a life and other stuff that must come first. However, I write a little every day and that is why it has taken a while for this chapter to come to you. I did not want it cliché ridden. So do say how I have done :-)**

**A little note for those wondering about the speed this story will have. It will probably be quite a long story, and will lead up until the destruction of Voldemort and then possibly an epilogue, there will be many twists and turns - not just those mentioned in the summary. So expect a moderate pace, Harry will be out of Azkaban by the end of this chapter but Hogwarts will not open until roughly Chapter 7, I hope this does not put anyone off. I can promise that we will not just see the clichéd bits of Severus suddenly realising Harry is a poor child and declare his love and immediate devotion this is Snape after all. :-) I hope this will help ease misunderstandings or confusions, I have not yet decided on pairings or if there will be one at all, good arguments may sway me one way or the other - it will not interfere with the plot however.**

**Thank you to everyone who read/favourited/alerted my story you are all amazing and I cannot say who much it means to me :-) Also a word of warning the paragraphs which feature Harry may seem stilted and vague and generally confusing - it is supposed to be so don't worry :-)**

**As always with these stories muses come at the most inopportune times and then randomly disappear. This is not the case for this story however I can say that I am rather busy so updates will be along the lines of once a month at the minimum I am afraid. It will never be abandoned though :-)**

**I am also sorry for the long AN, but please read the one at the bottom too, it is much shorter :-)**

* * *

Arriving at Dragonbelly Harbour, off the coast of Sandwood Bay, Peter was relieved to find that he had managed to catch the last ferry to Azkaban. This ferry held no criminals but did send the 9 pm to 4 am guard to watch over the prison. The position of guard was not one to be envious. The guard made rounds of the prison, checking the wards and locks on the cell doors, marking down anything of note. The guard also placed a list of magical signatures onto a piece of parchment outside his office, the list told the dementors, whom could neither read nor indeed see but moved around by sensing magical signatures of beings in order to manoeuvre their way around the prison. Which prisoner was to receive an immediate kiss or was to be placed on a boat back to the mainland.

Peter, in rat form, managed to scurry along one of the ropes and underneath the bench where he was hidden by the guard's bag. The journey to Azkaban islands was rather peaceful, with no wind the waves did not cascade over the sides of the boat. They reached the main island without incident and a horse drawn carriage met them at the harbour and took them across the single rickety bridge to the prison.

Once outside the prison gates two dementors opened the locks, Peter had to concentrate in order to continue his mission. The screams of death and betrayal by Lily and James as well as the image of his old friends and the boy who should have been his surrogate nephew meant that he could only just function; though concentrating on his task seemed to help. As the gates opened peter scurried through the gap, dodging between bushes and rocks, keeping behind the new guard but being careful not to be seen by the guard, lest he be cursed.

After what seemed like a lifetime Peter made it into the guard's office, as soon as the guard left to patrol the corridors, Peter got to work. Nothing could stop him from completing his mission. He looked into the files of the prisoners. Finding those, he wanted – the past Death Eaters – he took a quill from the desk of the guard and began to change the information.

_Prisoner Number: D81181342  
Name: Bellatrix Lestrange  
Cell Number: 3-42  
Block: Delta  
Crimes: Accomplice for the torture and attempted murder of Auror Frank A. Longbottom and Ministry Researcher Alice T. Longbottom and their child Neville F. Longbottom – age 1 year 3 months.  
Convicted: 8TH November 1981  
Punishment: Isolation – Moderate Dementor exposure  
Release: -TBD-  
Kiss Date: -TBD-_

_Prisoner Number: E23678419  
Name: Evander Kiltern  
Cell Number: 4-19  
Block: Epsilon  
Crimes: Murder of Aurors Rupert McKinnon, Felicity Hearthburn, Jasper Rinewood and Cyrus Greengrass at the battle of Briar Woods, where a further 29 casualties (muggles) occurred by this wand.  
Convicted: 23rd June 1978  
Punishment: Basic Sentence – Low Dementor exposure  
Release: -TBD-  
Kiss Date: -TBD-_

About 10 others were to have their release dates changed to 19th January 1996. Peter could not understand it, but apparently, the Dark Lord insisted of not announcing himself just yet. The prisoners were now to be released from the prison without incurring chaos, thus forcing the public to begin doubting the ministry. As Peter put the folders on the desk, he spotted the name in the drawer that made his conscious twinge in regret:

_Prisoner Number: S30695798  
Name: Harry J. Potter  
Cell Number: 7-98  
Block: Sigma  
Crimes: Murder of Mr Cedric A. Diggory a pureblood student of Hogwarts. Causing public wide panic with slanderous lies about the hero Peter Pettigrew, becoming a traitor and summoning the dead Dark Lord back to the living.  
Convicted: 30th June 1995  
Punishment: Isolation – High Dementor exposure  
Release:_ -None Allowed-  
_kiss Date: TBD_

Peter felt guilty; he knew he owed Harry a life debt. Now he sat in Azkaban Peter wondered how he could possibly every hope to fulfil it. Suddenly in a moment of inspiration Peter knew exactly what to do, it would stop Harry feeling the dementors, at the same time keep him alive, and out of his Dark Lord's agenda. Scribbling the date down on Harry's file Peter transformed back into Wormtail and scurried out of the prison, back across the bridge before jumping onto a boat, which went out to gather supplies for the main island from the shore.

**~~&~~CO~~&~~**

Lord Voldemort stood upon a balcony, looking down at the sea of people going about their business in the village below. It was nearing dawn; he had woken up early due to a sudden headache. Unable to go back to sleep he had gone to his stores to collect a potion but halfway there it had gone.

Because Lord Voldemort was now up and fully awake, but with all of his followers out doing something and no prisoners in the dungeons several floors below him, He felt – for possible the first time in years – utterly bored out of his mind.

This boredom had led him to a room off the old nursery, a giant living room with huge bay windows and a large balcony. Picking a random book off one of the shelves Voldemort went to stand on the balcony and watch the sunrise.

**~~&~~CO~~&~~**

The morning of the 8th July started as any other for the Weasley family. Molly were up washed then went down to set up the pots to cook breakfast. Then she would start the fire and put on the kettle, before going out and fetching the eggs and feeding the hens and the roosters. By this point Arthur Weasley had made it down stairs in his work robes, picking up slices of toast and a bit of bacon from the pan. A cup of coffee was poured and the newspaper flew in.

During the summer mornings it was always quiet Arthur was able to spend time simply sitting on the settee with Molly, reading the newspaper, as Molly knitted. There was very little talking, it being too early in the morning for meaningful conversation. Arthur nearly spat warm coffee all over the paper as he saw the headlines:

**_Punished Enough?_**

_In an unforeseen move last night Mr Trevor Smith (Guard of Azkaban) went to put away the files of several key prisoners caught during the last war with You-Know-Who he spotted the release date of the death eaters had been set for their release this coming January. Does the minister feel that without the threat of You-Know-Who, these prisoners have been punished enough? Should they now begin to mingle with ordinary wizards and witches once more?_

_Lord Lucius Malfoy, keen advisor to the minister and donator of over 35,000 galleons to various charities said this: "During the war it was necessary to keep those who may cause damage to our community locked away. Now without the threat that leaves us warding our every footstep we can begin to help these lost people. Help them to get back on their feet and back into the throws of life once more."_

_When asked about how wise this move was he replied, "With the lies and slander Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter have been spreading through the population, they have caused panic and certain treaties have almost ended. Something had to be done to ensure that the wizards and witches know that the ministry has no such worries. This was deemed the best course of action."_

_We at the Daily Prophet can only believe that the minister is correct._

_For more information on the charges brought against Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, please turn to page four,  
Information regarding the ministerial laws and bills put through in the last six months turn to page 11  
Information on the donations of Lucius Malfoy kindly turn to page 19_

Arthur showed the paper to Molly, who shared a sorrowful and worried look with him.

"I'll ask Bill if the goblins could give us a discount on further wards for the Burrow."

"Of course, I'll take the children to Diagon Alley; get that out of their systems before we have to get their course books. I can have an excuse to keep them here for the rest of the summer."

Arthur smiled at her, before looking up at the ceiling where the sound of shuffling could be heard. "The cavalry will be waiting for their breakfast." He said before giving his wife a quick kiss and yelling "Good Bye!" to his children before going to the fireplace and flooing to work.

Molly picked up the paper and hid it under her knitting. Wanting to make sure that no mention of Harry being in Azkaban was there before letting the children see it. While she could trust her eldest, three the youngest were unreliable and might get it into their heads to try to rescue him.

She shook her head before going to the kitchen and setting the table, pouring orange juice into a jug for her troops as they walked sleepily down the stairs.

**~~&~~CO~~&~~**

"Master?" a hesitant squeaky voice called for him,

The Dark Lord sighed, "What is it Wormtail?"

"I have completed the task my lord."

Voldemort turned around to spot the ratty man bowing before him. Voldemort sniffed and as the rat man stood straight again, dismissed him with a wave of his hand. He had decided that today he would not surround himself with ignorant, foolish people whom only seemed to want to get on his final nerve. Even now, Wormtail still stood there, "Well? What are you waiting for? Leave!"

Peter opened his mouth, but his master interrupted him,

"You've done as I asked, you've done no more and I have no desire for you to remain in my presence. Leave until I summon you once again."

"My…My Lord, I have nowhere to go…"

"You survived for thirteen years, I'm sure you can do so once more." Had anyone unfamiliar with the Dark Lord been standing in the room, they would have seen what would have appeared to be a smile.

Peter however started to sweat. He quickly bowed once more before backing out of the room. Having no desire to be crucioed that morning, if he could help it.

**~~&~~CO~~&~~**

Harry sat on his bed, wondering why his uncle had placed a small bowl of gruel through the bars of the window, which now that he thought about it was pretty close to the floor. His cat flap was skimming the edge of the ceiling. The food was worrying him. Harry had clearly somehow managed to end up sitting on the ceiling of his bedroom or maybe he had simply turned the world upside down.

No the food was a test, a test and some sort of punishment, Harry crawled carefully, not wanting to fall off the ceiling. Harry grabbed the bowl, it was cold – as though it had been lying there for hours he stuck a finger into the grey slop, and it tasted funny. Harry decided that it was probably poisoned. Well he was not going to give his uncle the satisfaction of killing him. He had not finished school yet and he needed to finish his homework.

Harry had no idea how long he had been left in his room. His relatives appeared to have allowed him his cousin's second bedroom. However, he had not heard winging and whining or crying, nor had he been yelled at or smacked by Dudley for stealing his room.

No chores had been given and he had vague memories of being somewhere safe – but his mind for some reason would not acknowledge them. He could not remember doing anything to deserve this long punishment, but he knew he must have. His head had started hurting again, and Harry wondered if he should ask his aunt to take him to the hospital again to get it checked out. Like he had done before he needed his glasses.

He must hae done something really awful to be kept in his room without any chores for so long. But then he had not been let out by his aunt or uncle to go to the bathroom to use the toilet. He'd been going in the bucket but it hurt him to do his business. Then he must have only been in the room for day, since sometimes the punishment would appear to drag and so he should just go take a nap. Which he really didn't want to do – the woman would scream again and he thought he knew who she was – Harry's head hurt more and he looked back around the room.

Harry looked up the wooden slats looked loose but he had no way to reach the slats to get his homework out of the hole underneath. Harry had a great idea; he grabbed the wooden frame of the bed and tried to turn it on its side. A few hours after he managed it and smiling at his work, the thin blanket and pillow on the floor, Harry climbed onto the bed and tried to reach the wooden slats. As he reached, he heard the sound of waves crashing against his window. That was odd. Harry could have sworn that the Dursley's house was nowhere near the seaside.

The creaking of the cell door startled Harry who fell backwards off his upturned bed smacking his head against the floor. As fireworks of colour streaked across his vision, a large shadow loomed closer, before a sudden burst of cold and a heart wrenching scream before darkness overshadowed all sound.

After a few moments, pain ceased and a warm draft was spreading across his body. The darkness that had blanketed over his eyes blinked then grew bright. Harry opened his eyes carefully, squinting slightly before he realised that he could see quite clearly, raising his hand to his eyes he realised that he was not wearing his glasses.

Harry stood up gingerly before noticing that his bones no longer ached, the pressure that had become constant – worsening in prison – during his life, had disappeared. He felt lighter and healthier.

A pile of wizard robes appeared on a bench, Harry chose one to wear before sitting down and looking around his surroundings. He appeared to be in a train station – washed with white. The platform he was sitting on had no trains on the rails, but several of the other platforms had them. Occasionally some would leave and a few minutes or seconds –Harry had no way of knowing how much time had passed - later a new one would pull up. Each train had blurred symbols on the front and had slight tints of different colours that Harry could not make any sense of.

A wail sounded through the station, with a small shushing noise after wards. Harry stood and made his way around a white pillar and watched, fascinated as a train pulled up and a woman with lanky hair stepped out. She went over to a bench, which held a young girl Harry vaguely remembered from somewhere. The young girl of about 15 was wearing a school uniform, though she appeared to have taken off the top robe and had wrapped it around a baby who could not have been more than 18 months. As the woman approached, she stroked the girl's head and that of the baby's. Then as the three stood the woman guided the children onto the train, which then sped off.

Harry felt that maybe he should get on a train too. However, for some reason the thought of moving platform made his stomach twinge and he felt uncomfortable thinking about actually getting on one of the trains. Therefore, he went and sat back down on the bench he was at before and waited.

* * *

**Thank you for reading :-) Please give any feedback you can :-)**

**Before you run off to review, I have a story idea I would like to share with you: It is a blood brothers style Harry Potter story, but with James and Severus as the twins. I can also promise that there will be no music or singing It is not going to be a songfic. I can promise fun, intrigue and mystery :-) Please let me know your thoughts on this and indeed, for any query you have about my stories in general.**

**Thank you again**

**DOE xx**


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